Together
by Bchets
Summary: Isshiki blackmails 8man into another date. What could go wrong (or unexpectedly right)? 8man x Iroha one-shot.


**Together**

The regular noises of Yuigahama and Yukinoshita making quiet conversation, the flipping of pages from my end of the table and the sounds coming from the heater were interrupted by a few quick knocks on the Service Club door.

"Come in."

The door slowly opened. Isshiki came in with a smile. Her smile made me think that she had some work for us to do on this otherwise comfortable day.

"Can I borrow senpai for a minute? It'll be really quick."

"You can talk to me in here."

Isshiki gave me a slight frown. The room was warm, okay? And I feel particularly comfortable in this chair right now. Isshiki sighed and looked at me as if to say, "Are you sure?" I nodded at her.

"Senpai... Go out with me tomorrow."

As I heard Isshiki say that in front of the other members of the Service Club, I gulped. I glanced over at Yuigahama and Yukinoshita. Yuigahama had her mouth agape in what seemed to be shock, while Yukinoshita tilted her head slightly. I looked back at Isshiki.

"No. I'm very busy."

"C'mon, senpai. I know you don't have any plans for this weekend. After all, it is senpai we're talking about."

"I said no."

Isshiki fumbled around in her pocket for a little, then dropped some slips of paper. The way she did it didn't seem deliberate, but I knew most things Isshiki did were planned. Well, it's what I've come to expect from my sly kouhai.

She gasped quietly and bent down to pick up the papers. I got out of my chair in order to help her. When I bent down to pick them up, Isshiki leant closer to me to the point where our faces were almost touching. I looked away almost immediately.

"It's not like you can refuse me, senpai."

Not knowing what she meant, I turned to look at her in confusion. She was facing downwards, looking at the slips of paper. As soon as I realized they were the receipts from when we had went out before, I gulped. Isshiki and I picked up the rest of the slips and I handed them to her.

As I sat back down in my chair, I noticed a change in temperature. Why did my face seem so warm? Isshiki looked at me with a sly smile.

"So, senpai, I'll tell you the details later, okay?"

With that last statement, Isshiki walked out of the room. I looked across the table. Yuigahama and Yukinoshita continued to look at me in confusion. They must not have been able to see what happened because the table blocked their view. Thanks for the hard work, Table-chan.

"What was that about, Hikki?"

"I am curious as well."

"Uh... I owe her."

"Owe her for what exactly?"

Yukinoshita's questioning eyes were hard to ignore. As I racked my brain for a suitable answer, Yuigahama spoke up.

"If Hikki doesn't want to tell us... He doesn't have to..."

"I suppose that is true..."

Yuigahama and Yukinoshita conceded. I was tempted to give an excuse after seeing their slightly sad faces, but I knew I didn't have one that would satisfy them. The sound of the heater was the only noise left after Isshiki's intrusion. Yukinoshita looked up at me.

"Shall we call it a day?"

* * *

The time and location were the same as last time: Chiba Station at ten o'clock. I arrived at ten almost exactly and waited for Isshiki to arrive. About five minutes later, I felt a light tap on my shoulder. I turned to see Isshiki.

"Hey, senpai. Sorry to keep you waiting!"

"It's fine, I just got here."

"Ah, so you learned from last time."

Yeah, I try not to make the same mistake twice. Wait, wasn't I on another date with you? I guess I do repeat some mistakes. She smiled at me and started walking.

"So, what do you want to do, senpai?"

Crap. I didn't expect her to ask that question. The way she asked me out made me believe that she had plans. I quickly thought of something we could do that we didn't do on our last outing.

"You wanna watch a movie?"

"Ooh, a movie with just the two of us? How bold of you, senpai. Let's go!" Huh? Why did Risette pop into my head? Well, Isshiki is my cute kouhai and does act a lot like her... **[1]**

We walked towards the theater. When we arrived, I saw that they were having a special for the upcoming Valentine's Day. "Couples watch a romantic movie..." Just the thought of being around so many happy couples made me a little sick. Happy couples should just blow up.

"Let's do the couples special!"

I was afraid she was going to say that. I nodded at her suggestion and went up to pay for the tickets.

"The couples special, please."

"Um..."

The girl at the register looked at me as if she was confused.

"... Who are you going with?"

Oi, that's a bit impolite, especially since you're the one I'm paying. Actually, I'd probably be surprised that I actually have a date.

"Her."

I pointed at Isshiki, who smiled at me. The cashier looked like she still had some doubt, but took my money and gave me three tickets. Three?

"That's your milkshake ticket."

I read the couples special description again. "Share a milkshake with your beloved while enjoying the film..." Ugh.

"Ah, thanks."

I walked back to Isshiki and gave her a ticket. After saying a quick "thank you", she took the milkshake ticket from my hand. She ran up to the food vendor as I walked over. She ran back with a cup that had two straws stuck in it.

"Here, senpai."

She handed me the milkshake. We walked to our seats. As I sat down, I put my arm down on the armrest between us while putting the milkshake in the cup holder. Isshiki put her arm on the armrest as well. I pulled my arm off instinctively. Isshiki gave me an odd look then leaned closely to me.

"We can share it. We are a couple for right now, anyway."

She grabbed my arm and placed it on the armrest. I was feeling a bit thirsty, so I grabbed the milkshake and put one of the straws in my mouth. As if on cue, Isshiki put the other in her mouth. We sat there, face to face, drinking the milkshake in unison. I pulled away as soon as I sipped enough to actually taste the strawberry milkshake.

"Uh... It's good..."

"No need to be shy, senpai."

Isshiki put her head on my shoulder. Her hair smelled fruity, which I didn't hate. In fact, the weight on my shoulder felt oddly comfortable.

The movie was a generic romance, which I usually disliked watching. Somehow, watching it with Isshiki felt different. I suppose you shouldn't watch romance movies alone. They'll just make you feel bitter about your love life. Or lack thereof.

Later in the movie, when the two main characters kissed for the first time, Isshiki stopped leaning on me. I felt relieved but somehow disappointed at the same time. We finished the movie without much contact. Other than her arm still touching mine.

When the movie ended, we got up from our seats before most of the couples. Isshiki took off the cap and straws and drank what remained of the milkshake. We walked out in silence. As I was about to start a conversation about the movie to break the tense atmosphere, Isshiki dragged me over to the side of the path we were walking on.

"Hey... Senpai?"

The way she asked me, face downturn as if unsure of herself made me nervous. The Isshiki I knew was always confident and headstrong when things were going her way. Seeing her in this state was surprising.

"Uh, yes?"

"You remember that genuine thing you were talking about? I feel like I'm getting closer to it."

"What do you mean?"

She leaned closer to me and grabbed one of my sleeves.

"I feel like I can almost touch it."

She turned her face towards me. I was caught in her stare for a while. Then I felt her lips upon mine. It didn't feel bad, but I was so surprised that I backed off immediately.

"W-what are you doing, Isshiki?"

She turned away from me. She was shaking slightly.

"So senpai doesn't feel that way about me... I should have known..."

Isshiki ran off. I followed her for a little, but she quickly maneuvered through the crowds. I wasn't able to keep up. The faint taste of strawberries lingered on my lips.

* * *

"Did something happen between you and Isshiki-san?"

"Um, nothing in particular..."

Having to explain what happened during our date seemed embarrassing. Especially since I would be talking about a kiss. Irohasu took my first kiss! Now I can never get married! Ah, I have the heart of a maiden.

"Iroha-chan hasn't been coming in lately."

Yuigahama was right. Isshiki hadn't come in for a few days, when she would normally be here almost every day of the week. Even just to say hello, she would come. I was a bit worried as well.

"I'll find out what happened. Can I go find her right now?"

"Yes."

With Yukinoshita's approval, I left the room. I walked quickly to the Student Council room and knocked on the door. After someone inside gave her approval, I opened the door and walked in. Isshiki was there, looking like she was focused on something other than her presidential duties.

"Sorry for the intrusion."

As she heard my voice she looked up at me. She had some tears running down her face as she ran out the room. I followed her this time. With no crowds blocking my way, I caught her in the middle of the hallway. I am a decent runner after all. If I can catch up with Hayama, I can definitely catch up with Isshiki.

"What now, senpai? I don't want to spend any more time with you now that you rejected me."

Isshiki was hurt badly by my actions. There was only one logical course to take. But this time, it wasn't at all self sacrifice.

"I never rejected you Isshiki. I was just surprised by the kiss."

She looked at me through teary eyes. She hugged me tightly, wiping her eyes on my blazer.

"Then... I'll confess properly this time."

She pulled away and looked me in the eyes. Her face was unsightly, with traces of makeup dripping down her cheeks, but I couldn't help but think about how cute she was.

"I love you, senpai. Please go out with me."

"Okay."

She closed the distance between our lips. She was wearing strawberry lip balm which reminded me of our first kiss. This kiss was much longer. She pulled away but pulled me back into a tight embrace. It felt weird, but I hugged her back.

After she let go, I looked back down the hall. The student council members were watching us the whole time. Isshiki walked calmly, but quickly, back into the student council room and grabbed her things. As she walked back out, I realized something.

"Crap."

"What's wrong, senpai?"

"I left my stuff in the clubroom."

* * *

Before we walked back to the clubroom, Isshiki made a pit stop in the restroom to clean up her face. When she came back out she didn't look like Chinatsu's art anymore **[2]**. Ah, maybe I shouldn't say that about my new girlfriend? Girlfriend... Sounds very weird to me.

As we walked back, I thought of a way to explain to Yukinoshita and Yuigahama the current situation. While I was deep in thought, Isshiki grabbed my hand, interlacing our fingers. The sudden contact was surprising, but I forced myself to reject my instinct to separate from her. We walked, holding hands the whole way, to the clubroom. I knocked on the door.

"Come in."

As I reached for the handle, Isshiki grabbed my hand.

"Is this the genuine thing you were looking for, senpai?"

"I don't know."

Isshiki suddenly turned downward as if she was disappointed with my answer.

"We'll have to keep looking for it."

Isshiki turned her face to me after hearing what I said. As she let go of my hand and I started to open the door of the Service Club, I looked her in the eyes.

"Together."

Isshiki brightly smiled at that single word. I opened the door, and we walked inside.

* * *

"So, how did this happen?"

I looked at Yukinoshita after she asked, then looked at Isshiki.

"Well, it started with blackmail."

Isshiki impishly grinned at that statement. I looked back at Yukinoshita who had a hand up to her forehead. Yuigahama smiled at me with what looked like pity.

"Somehow that sounds believable... Especially considering that it's you two..."

"I know right..."

Isshiki leaned on my shoulder as I continued the story.

* * *

Thanks for reading, everyone! As always, reviews would be appreciated.

Ok, I know what you're thinking. Why aren't you working on the Valentine's Day fic?! I just don't feel like it right now lol. Finals are like next week. And it's Saturday here... Making a whole new chapter takes a bit of time, I think.

I've had this story for a few months, but I was kinda unhappy with how it turned out back then. I decided to take a look at it. Added some humor and the short epilogue. Then I felt better about it. I know there is some slight OOC stuffs, but unsure about if anyone's overly OOC. Please let me know. Actually, thinking about it now, Isshiki is probably OOC (she didn't reject 8man a single time!). Eh, whatever. Oh, and the title's so cheesy! Ah, I'm such a sap. Well, this is my first romantic fic...

Thanks all,

Bchets

Footnotes:

 **[1]** : Risette is from Persona 4 (a/n: ANOTHER PERSONA 4 REFERENCE? Yes. Totally unintended when I first wrote it. Just sounds like something Risette would say lol. If you haven't noticed, I like Persona 4 a lot.)

 **[2]** : Chinatsu from Yuru Yuri (a/n: Yes I like Yuru Yuri. Judge me. Before that, try to find a picture of Chinatsu's art.)


End file.
